“Ava,” Thomas hummed, the sound almost inside my ear.
“What?” I asked, very slowly using the top of the box to pull myself up. It felt like climbing Everest. I draped myself over the top. There was a lid partially on it. My fingers brushed over it and I felt the wood etched with deeply carved symbols or drawings. I laid my head down on the wood.
Warm slime slid around my wrist and I felt my cursed arm pulled up for inspection. I felt the sludge travel down my hand and I whimpered when it coated my hand. Any direct touch made the splinter scream in pain.
“Thomas?” I asked.
“I told you there’s something in here Ava.” Something big shifted beside me. “And that something isme,” he growled out, his voice ringing deep around the room.
Every instinct inside me flared to life screaming. I trembled and felt ill as his words swirled around in my head, echoing inside my skull.
I whimpered, sliding off the box and back on the floor, clutching the cursed hand to my chest. I reached out and grabbed the flashlight, cranking it. A dim light flickered on. All the ghosts stood there in silence, eyes wide, mouths open in silent screams. The little girl was there too, staring behind me in horror.
I gasped and dropped the flashlight, it clattered to the ground and went out immediately.
“Uh oh, that little girl is getting closer,” Thomas said in amusement. He could see her? “I can help you. Make all those ghosts go away,” whispered in my ear. I felt something right next to me, like a person laying down beside me.
Sludge slid over my jaw like a caress, feeling like warm mud. I tried to pull away from it but it stuck to me. A chuckle bubbled up from Thomas at my expense.
“What’s going on?” I whispered. I felt myself start falling asleep. The mud slid around my neck then under my chin, tipping my face up.
“You’re running out of time,” he said. He was right, my splinter was screaming, my head went white with pain. It felt like my skull was cracking open. I could sense the girl ghost reaching out towards me, trying to grab me.
“Help me, please,” I cried desperately.
“With pleasure,” Thomas hissed and I could feel his presence become taller, expanding in the space in front of me. All the ghosts cried out in a shriek of pure terror as Thomas laughed and laughed.
I finally lost the fight to stay awake, laughter crowing in my ears as consciousness faded to black.
7
“Wake up!” Roared loudly, seeming to painfully come from inside my head. I inhaled sharply, feeling as if I’d been suffocating. Immediately I knew I was still alive because everything still hurt. My arm and head were the worst buteverythingfelt horrible.
I started to fall asleep again.
“No.” The word was growled and I blinked my eyes open. Everything was dark. I could hear the dripping water echoing in the massive cave I was in.
“Wha’s goin on?” I asked, my words slurred and soft.
“You need my help,” the climber’s voice purred low and guttural.
“I’m here… to help you,” I said in confusion. Of course, I couldn’t really help him anymore, could I? I just wanted to sleep. I think I’d really hurt my head back there.
“Let’s help each other then…Ava.” He said my name slowly, delicately, tenderly. My name was being caressed with his mouth. A shiver raced up my spine.
I felt something slide around my ankles, warm and wet. It wrapped around my legs like vines as it moved upwards. I tried to jerk away but my head ached so bad that I gave up.
“Where… are the ghosts?”
“I scared them off. They’ll be back though. Can’t really leave. And that splinter of yours… “ he clicked his tongue. I swallowed.
“It’s what brought her here,” I mumbled, knowing my fair share about ghosts from my family. She was attached to the house and the splinter was a piece of it. I’d brought her on my trip and since it was inside my body, I had been slowly poisoned by it. At least, I assumed the latter, though I'd never actually heard of such a thing. It was just my special luck, my Luna family blessing, to have something this ridiculous happen.
“What do I do?” I mumbled, feeling hopeless. My words all stuck together when I said them. Mud slid around my neck then under my chin, tipping my face up. It felt like summer sludge, warm, thick, and dripping down slowly in streams. If it moved up further and settled on my face, I would drown in it.
“Ican subdue that curse,” he said, sounding helpful and light but the words slithered nefariously in my head like a lie. Something deep inside me was telling me no, don’t accept his help. My instincts pleaded with me to leave, to get away, to run, to do anything fucking possible to distance myself from this thing that who made even ghosts scream in terror. I gasped as that instinct shivered inside me.
He wasn’t a man.
